Mohsen Baqery is a staff writer for GameRant based in Türkiye. He primarily covers video game news and industry features, and occasionally publishes guides and lists. Mohsen began his journey into video game journalism by self-publishing reviews of his favorite games, which led him to freelance work for small online publications and launched his professional writing career.
Regarding suspicions of monopoly, valve CEO Gabe Newell said that Steam doesn't dictate prices to developers and that PC gamers are free to purchase games from any store of their choice. The claims stem from a lawsuit first filed in 2021 by independent developer Wolfire Games LLC. In the lawsuit, Wolfire alleged that Valve abused its position in the industry by enforcing a “Most Favored Nation” pricing policy across its platforms. According to the developer, this policy prevents publishers from selling their games on other platforms at a lower price than what is available on Steam.
Valve Faces Another Lawsuit
Valve finds itself in the crosshairs of yet another lawsuit, with a lawsuit filed against the PC gaming giant in Washington state.
Valve doesn't dictate prices to developers, says Valve's CEO.
A previously unreported transcript reveals Gabe Newell's response to exclusivity accusations involving Steam. “Valve has no policy or practice of dictating prices to third-party software developers on other platforms.” The CEO has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, according to Bloomberg. While questioning the basis of the charge, Newell also cited Xbox and the Epic Games Store as examples, arguing that gamers are free to purchase games from any store they choose. However, it is worth noting that these comments were made in November 2023, and the lawsuit against Valve is still ongoing.
